Name: Christen
Location: Chicago
Size: 1500 square feet
Years lived in: 5
Christen's apartment is located in a 1912 brick two-flat overlooking Palmer Square. She has created a throughly unique home furnished with the vintage treasures that she'd collected over the years, long before she knew where they would finally fit in. Her self-described style is "goofball with an appreciation for beauty" and it has definitely produced a charming result.
Christen is the owner of the Busy Beaver Button Co., and you'll notice bits and pieces of this part of her life throughout the slideshow; a card of vintage buttons on the desk in her home office, a big button or two on a bookshelf and a collection of favorites under glass, framed in the living room. Other collections in the home: really amazing vintage lighting, beautiful textiles and wallpapers, funky, funny decorative items everywhere, guitars and music, music, music. There are unusual, quirky details in every room - it's one big visual treat.
This is a personality-filled space; one that reflects a passion for the past but more importantly one that accommodates a busy current life lived well - a colorful office for the business, a seriously beautiful kitchen for cooking in, a big dining table for seating lots of friends, a wide open living room with a game table at the ready and a serene guest room for visitors.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
My style: Goofball with an appreciation for beauty.
Inspiration: Having smart people around me and give me their opinions, especially Joel Carter, Kim Soss , Angela from Post 27 and my boyfriend, Brett Sova. I pull out Harry Nilsson's Pandemonium Shadow Show to get me thinking as well as old Mad Magazines, Al Jaffee makes me laugh. Plus, I really like Terence Conran books because there are many eclectic interiors.
Favorite Element: I have a few!
-All the old, heavy doors in the house. Especially the ones with glass. All are original, but one.
-I am also very excited that I found Jack Lenor Larsen fabric to make cushions for the game table in the living room.
-The light fixture in the dining room, it's from a shop that used to be on Chicago Ave, called Arrow.
-The couch in the living room, I found in the alley behind the house, it's from Pullman!
- The bathroom, I love everything about it.
Biggest Challenge: The living room. I made the ceiling higher and the space just felt funny. Until my brother, Joel suggested the trim up top and the ceiling fan. It makes the room feel cozy.
What Friends Say: The wallpaper gets the most comments. But my friends say that it's comfortable and like the view that overlooks Palmer Square.
Biggest Embarrassment: Kinda love and hate that fact that my curtains are held up by left-over buttons from Busy Beaver.
Proudest DIY: Putting up the wallpaper in the dining room with my family.
Biggest Indulgence: Custom kitchen. Kitchens are expensive.
Best advice: To take my time and just do one project at a time. It's so true, once one project is done, the vision for the next project becomes clearer for me.
Dream source: Modern Times, although I do buy things there occasionally. Everything is so well thought-out and lovingly collected.
Resources:
(Thanks, Christen!)
Images: Janel Laban
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ooooooooo i like the light over the dining room table! that is fun!
Wow. So perfect.
It's nice to see highly personal, quirky interiors on AT. Love the textiles and collections.
that green bedroom looks fantastically cozy.
You're killing me! Gorgeous.
Where, oh, WHERE is that spice rack from?!?!
Stunning. What color paint did you use in the kitchen?
Oh my god.
What a fantastic, livable, work of art.
(And I'm usually allergic to exposed brick,too.)
Love the spice rack and the circular light fixture.
Beautiful place, I love the feel of it, and I really love the kitchen. It's already been asked, but I'll ask again - where is the spice rack from? It rocks.
This place is so cool--modern, but relaxed, playful but not twee. My favorite parts were the kitchen in general, the spice rack in particular, the ceiling light fixtures, bedroom wallpaper and vintage-y bathroom.
i pretty much want to know everything about your kitchen. What color blue paint? What type of marble? What kind of wood? How did they construct and get the wood rectangles to stay on the wall? All other details and more pictures please???
beautiful goofball is such a good title for it, so many adult-like details combined with some childish and playful ones
Such a nice place. The custom cabinetry is great and I also like how you kept all the cabinetry low. It keeps the kitchen feeling spacious, plus you have room for artwork. The articulating lamp in the dining corner is really neat. Bee-yuty.
Every detail is fantastic. Each room has its distinct personality, yet they all flow together seamlessly. I especially like the way the circular spice rack echoes the halo chandelier. Great photography, too.
Yeah, that spice rack is killer...well, your whole place is really! I love it.
I guess everyone else loves the spice rack too!!! I do love your house. The colors and lines are so nice!
Amazing
where did you find the circular light fixture? beautiful home. thanks.
I really love this place! Wow -- so jealous. I love all the colors, and you did a great job editing & arranging your collection of things.
You should add some more color into the living room -- the rest of your house has so much color, it was surprising to see plain walls!
I love the bathroom and that corner with the benches, cushions and music albums - great house tour!
I love the kitchen design - but is the fridge in another room??
Wonderful home!
Anybody know where the beige feathery wallpaper might be from?
Beautiful. I love the mix of vintage modern and vintage pre-modern.
Jeez, this place is killer. I love everything.
Spice rack?
Yetti art work in dining room?
Great tour! Lots of views of whole rooms, cute vignettes. Love the feather wallpaper.
Please, please do share the name of the paint color in your kitchen - it's lovely!
Hello!
Thank you for all your feedback!
The feathery wallpaper is from Cole and Sons, it's called Mimosa.
The spice rack is 70's I think, but I have a feeling that someone will re-make it based on how awesome it is.
The circular light fixture is also old, but I believe it was made by lightolier. Got it at Arrow, which is now closed.
The fridge is indeed not in the main kitchen part, but in a little cubby:
http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/chi-house-tour-christen/item/98102
I'll have to look up the paint color. But the marble in the kitchen is carrera.
If you have more questions, I would be happy to answer!
omgomgomg. love!
really, really nice home! love the bathroom esp.
I've seen a lot of those spice racks on eBay. Personally, my favorite thing is that green and red framed piece above your stove.
We ALL love your home! It's fun, isn't it? When someone's place make everyone happy!
Awesome place.
Can you please tell me the names of the colors you used on your bedroom walls? The green is totally cool and I love the cream color on the other wall. Thanks so much!
oh, i'm in love. such an amazing and inspiring place <3
what a fabulous and unique home! it's quirky, fun, yet very warm and inviting. my favorite part of the house is the exposed brick in the kitchen and i absolutely love all of the colors in your home.
yes, please share the green color - it's perfect!
I love the kitchen most. Wonderful colors, warm and calming, yet fresh. If you remember the name of the blue that'd be fab. But in general so very nice. It's colorful, but not tacky, it's got lots of fun details and vintage elements without giving me the feeling I've gotten on many recent house tours here - it's all display, and will get dated soon. Not here. I also love the colors - again, so many recent house tours have been to bland. Still, this is not over-doing the color either. Wallpaper is also such a nice change from painted walls everywhere.
Congrats on your space!
I'd love to know the blue in the kitchen, too. Gorgeous!
Love to know both kitchen blue and darker, complimentary blue used in the other room. Fantastic!
i love this. looooooove it. did i say i love your house? i do.
I love your space as well! There are such beautiful, old touches that have not been destroyed, but what happened to the fireplace in the living room? It looks like there was one once upon a time between the two wonderful stained glass windows, or it looks like one should be there!
Stylish and still inviting. It looks lived in, loved, and deeply fabulous. Great job!
Here's a link to the feathery wallpaper "mimosa":
http://www.cole-and-son.com/search_results_name.asp?productname=mimosa&form=4&image=submit
For some reason I read the comments before taking the tour, so as I started the tour I was like, "yeah, yeah, how interesting could a spice rack possibly be- HOLY CRAP!"
What a gorgeous space! I have some questions:
-what is the paint color in the bathroom? It's that perfect robin's egg blue that everyone seems to know about but me.
-where did you get your shower curtain? I loooove it!
the shower curtain and the yetti painting??? ;))
I'll look up all the colors in my basement on the weekend for y'all.
Shower curtain is Marimekko:
http://www.finnstyle.com/marimekko-fokus-showercurtain1.html
Love the weathered brick wall, the stained glass window in the bath, and the soaring ceiling in the livingroom.
I love everything about this place.I love the colors,I love the lighting,so comfortable.
I love everything, where did you get the blanket with pieces of different fabrics on the main bed??. I want one!! thank you
Beautiful place. It's so fun!! I'm so jealous of your brick wall. I would also love to know the origin of the awesome art that looks like it's a 3D layered paper art piece in that awesome frame!! Also, is that a mask on the dining room table? If so, where did you get it? I collect masks!
A cool home with a wonderful sense of humor! I really like your antique/vintage settee in your living room.
Beautiful home. Your color palette is absolutely wonderful. Peaceful and fun. Looking forward to learning the names of your paint colors.
Please remember to post the colors! We're being patient!
I to love the darn spice rack. I was hoping that someone would find a place to buy them, but i guess I will have to make my own? it cant be too hard!
I would love to know the color of the paint in the kitchen... Looks like a soft seafoam??
Hey there! Happy Holidays!
So I have some colors for you, thank you for your patience!
The kitchen is Behr, Marina Isle.
The hobby/office just off the kitchen has the deep blue accent wall, that's Benjamin Moore, Surf Blue.
The olive green in the bedroom is very close to Benjamin Moore, Terrapin Green and the cream color is Benjamin Moore, Navajo White.
I really like the Benjamin Moore Historical Colors collection. They have some really calming and rich colors.
Let me know if you want any more!
Sweet Luna, the 3d artwork is by the extremely talented Emily Counts!
http://www.motelgallery.com/archive/artists/emilycounts/main.html
and
http://www.etsy.com/shop/nettletown
LeighM,
The fireplace was long gone when I arrived. I'm thinking about what to do with that space. Not sure if I should put another fireplace there, or just clean up the tiles and leave it. What would you suggest?
Actually, when I moved in, those stained glass windows in the living room were plastered over. There's still a larger stained glass in the dining room that is plastered over, I want to set free someday.
i love the color scheme you've used- very eclectic and the blue tones contrast nicely against the brick walls
The Spice Rack is a Digsmed: http://cravenmaven.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/found-it-digsmed-circular-spice-rack/
Well done! Great sense of style, space and coziness!
lovely place. Where did you get the all white bar stools in the kitchen?
Christen here! Haven't checked this in a bit, sorry for the delay!
The white bar stools are from Post 27, they're older and they only had two at the time.
Thank you for your comments chicagosue. My cats do live here mostly peacefully with my pet fish, boyfriend and me.
Most of the items in my place were pretty inexpensive, actually! I did have couple of splurges, but mostly have been collecting this stuff for 15 years. And I'm gonna keep on working at it!
Loved the sixties feel in the house very well done just make sure to take care of these beautiful pieces of furniture you have .
Loving the retro......
I HAVE AN IDENTICAL DIGSMED SPICE RACK I NEED TO SELL.......LOCATION - SCOTLAND,UK
Inhereted with new home and sadly don't truely use it as I have a larder. Can anyone out there give it a safe new home and put it back to good use. Can provide photos.
Yep everything is perfect about your bathroom. The starburst spice rack is to die for so lucky you have a big kitchen to showcase it in.
What about that big gold picture frame with the layers of artwork in it? Is that two polar bears?
LOOOOVE your place.
@Leslie Wilkinson - would you post to EU? shoot me an email at my username at gmail.com....
It is a fun place with beautiful objetcs.
@LoveDecor That was made by the talented Emily Counts:
http://www.emilycounts.com/
Thank you for the nice comments! Been working on this place for the past couple fo years since this was posted. Maybe it's almost time for another tour!